Adjustable canopy



Dec. 4, 1956 I A. E. PuLs Erm. 2,772,684

ADJUSTABLE cANoPY Filed Janv 26, 1955 Q INVENToR 4l/060 E. pas BY 00A/Mo A. /OAG @www0 United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE CAN()PY Alfred E. Puls and Donald R. Hoag, Cleveland, Ohio,

assignors to Babee-Tenda License Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application January 26, 1953, Serial No. 333,044

3 Claims. (Cl. 135-5) This invention relates to adjustable canopies, especially to canopies of a type adapted for use with sand boxes, infants safety tables, beach or porch tables, etc.

Heretofore, various types of canopies have been provided for articles of the class referred to hereinabove. In making a canopy, several factors must be balanced or adjusted with relation to each other in order to determine the size of any particular canopy for a given table, chair, or the like. In other words, where one has a given area to protect from the sun, such area or article of furniture can be protected from the suns rays by either making a relatively large fixed canopy for use with the given article, or else a smaller canopy can be used and it may be adjustably positioned with relation to the article.

In making adjustable canopies, various types of apparatus have been proposed heretofore, but it is dicult to provide a canopy which is of sturdy construction and which can be easily adjusted in position. Furthermore, the adjustment of some canopies is such a time-consuming work, and so diiiicult, that it is not done so thatfthe full benets of using the canopy properly are not realized.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved type of adjustable canopy for articles of the class referred to wherein such canopy is characterized by the ease of adjustment of position of the canopy and where the canopy does not require anyl manual tightening or loosening of members in the canopy for varying the position of such canopy support,

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable canopy wherein the position of the canopy can be altered by merely pressing a spring associated with a canopy frame support and sliding the entire canopy frame along to a new adjusted position at which time the compressed spring can be released and will automatically retain the canopy in the position given to it.

A further object of the invention is to provide canopy support means wherein a bolt engages a support member by extending through a slot in the support member and with canopy support means being secured to one section of the bolt by a pair of lock nut members on longitudinally spaced portions of the bolt, and with a spring being compressed intermediate one of the lock nut members on the bolt and one side of the support so that the spring can be depressed to release the bolt from engagement with the support without releasing engagement of the canopy support means with the bolt.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be made more apparent as the specification proceeds.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one currently preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention, and wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the adjustable canopy of the invention, with an additional position of the canopy being indicated in dotted lines, and with the canopy being secured to a conventional infants combined table and chair; and

ICE

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I

In referring to the accompany-ing drawings and the following specification, corresponding numerals have been used to refer to corresponding parts so that comparison between the drawings and specification is facilitated.

The present invention, generally speaking, relates to an adjustable canopy comprising a longitudinally slotted frame support which usually has a substantially vertically extending section and a horizontally extending section, and bolt means extending through the slot in the support and engaging the support on one side thereof, while canopy support arms are pivotally carried by the bolt on the other side of the support. A lock nut is carried by the bolt intermediate the support and the support arms and is spaced from the support so that spring means can be positioned and compressed intermediate the support and the support arms. Any suitable canopy cover is positioned by the support arms, and lock nut means engage the bolt to press the support arms against said lock nut to secure the support arms in position so that the assembly on the bolt and comprising the support arms and canopy proper can be slid along in the slot in the canopy support when additional pressure is exerted on the spring means so that the bolt head is released from engagement with the support, but with the spring means snapping the bolt and assembled means into a fixed, given position as soon as the bolt is released from application of external pressures thereto.

Reference now should be had to the details of the structure shown in the drawings, and a canopy is indicated as a whole by the numeral 1. This canopy 1 is shown in association with conventional combined table and chair unit 2 having collapsible support legs 3 thereon, and the canopy 1 is supported by and positioned on the table and chair 2 by a support or frame member 4 which normally extends vertically upwardly from the table and chair 2. Fig. l indicates that usually the support 4 has one substantially vertically extending lower portion, whereas it has a substantially horizontally directed upper end and with the different portions or sections of the support being connected together by a smoothly curved part of the support. A longitudinally extending slot 5 is provided in the support 4 and extends over at least the curved length of the support, which is made from wood or other desired material.

As an important feature of the invention, the canopy 1 is engaged with the support 4 solely by means of a bolt 6 which extends through `the slot 5 and which may have a washer 7 engaging the head 8 of the bolt 6 to retain such head inengagement with the support 4 to provide a wear resisting contactfor the bolt head. The canopy includes f suitable cloth covering so that a layer of canvas 9 is shown on the canopy and it is vsupported by a plurality, usually four, support arms 1E) which are pivotally engaged with the bolt 6 on one side of the support 4. These support arms 10 abut against a suitable lock nut 1l or equivalent member which is engaged with the bolt 6 on an inner portion thereof spaced from the support 4 so that the lock nut 11 will not rotate by pressures applied normally thereto. The head of the bolt 6 is resiliently urged against its adjacent surface of the support 4 by a spring 12 or a similar member which is compressed intermediate the support 4 and the support arm 10 most closely positioned with relation thereto. In some instances, the lock nut 11 may be a washer or other member xedly secured to the bolt to serve as a seat for one end of the spring 12 and to prevent transmittal of forces used to secure the canopy 1 to the bolt, as hereinafter described, to the spring 12. Usually a washer 13 is carried by the bolt 6 intermediate the support 4 and the adjacent end of the spring 12 to provide a smooth or metallic bearing surface for the spring. The support arms lil are then secured in a given position on the bolt 6 by a nut 14 engaging with the outer end of the bolt 6. Fig. 2 of the drawings best shows that the lock nut 14 may be of the so-called speed nut type, as may be the lock nut 11, so that in all eventsvtightening the lock nut 14 will force the support arms 10 against the inner lock nut 11 and retain them in a desired assembled relationship. Usually the free ends of the support arms have suitable means thereon for positioning the sheet of canvas 9 thereon. Thus a male section of a conventional snap-fastener member 15 is suitably secured on the end of each of the support arms for engaging a female section of a snap-fastener (not shown) sewed on or otherwise carried by the canvas sheet 9.

Fig. 2 of the drawings also shows that a final wing lock nut 16 is engaged with the bolt 6 and it is used for tightening the entire canopy support assembly of the invention. Thus such wing nut 16 will be engaged with the bolt 6 to tighten the support arms in position and retain the canopy in a desired assembled relationship. It is possible to omit the lock nut 14, or replace it by a washer, as the lock nut 16 will secure the canopy components in desired positions.

After the canopy of the invention has been secured in one given position, it is possible to move the entire canopy unit l longitudinally of the support 4 by compressing the spring 12 further and freeing the head 8 of the bolt 6 from engagement with the support. At that time any longitudinally directed force on the canopy 1 will move it with relation to or along the slot 5 in the support, and will then re-establish the canopy 1 in a xed position merely by release of the bolt 6 which will be forced into pressure relationship with the support 4 to position the canopy 1 as soon -as the bolt is released. In other words, a slight downward force on the upper surface of the assembly of the canopy 1 and bolt 6, as shown in the drawings, will permit the entire canopy assembly to be slid easily along the slot in the support and no manual adjustment or tightening of the bolt 6 or associated members is required in order to secure the canopy in a given adjusted position after the desired amount of movement thereof has been achieved.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that an improved adjustable type of canopy has been supplied in the invention, and the canopy can be neadily adjusted or varied in position with no manual loosening or tightening of any portion of the canopy support being required for canopy position adjustment. The apparatus of the invention will automatically retain any given position, and is made from relatively inexpensive, easily assembled members so that the objects of the invention are thought to be achieved.

While in accord with the patent statutes I have specifically illustrated and described one embodiment of practicing my invention, it is to be particularly understood that I am not to be limited thereto or thereby, but that the scope of my invention is defined in the appended Claims.

We claim:

1. A canopy comprising a curved support having a slot in the curved portion thereof, a bolt extending through said slot and having a head operatively engaging said support, a plurality of canopy support arms pivotally carried by said bolt on a side of said support space from the bolt head, a lock nut in threaded engagement with said bolt intermediate said support `and the said support arms and spaced from said support, spring means compressed intermediate said support and said support arms by engaging said lock nut, and lock nut means on said bolt for pressing said support arms against said lock nut to secure said support arms in position whereby the assembly of said bolt and support arms can be slid along in said slot when additional compressive pressure is exerted on said spring means and said bolt head is released from engaging said support.

2. A canopy comprising a curved support having a slot in the curved portion thereof, a bolt extending through said slot and having a head operatively engaging said support, a plurality of canopy support arms carried by said bolt on one side of said support, a lock member in threaded engagement with said bolt intermediate said support and the said support arms and spaced from said support, spring means compressed intermediate said support and said lock member, and means on said bolt for pressing said support arms against said lock member to secure said support arms in position at all times whereby the assembly of said bolt and support arms can be slid along in said slot when additional pressure is exerted on said spring means and said bolt head is released from engaging said support.

3. An adjustable shade member comprising a longitudinally slotted frame support with a substantially vertically extending section and a horizontally extending section, bolt means extending through said slot in said frame support and engaging said support on one side thereof, a canopy carried by and secured to said bolt means, spring means intermedi-ate said support and said canopy, lock nut means adjustably engaging said bolt means inten mediate said spring means and said canopy for seating said spring means thereon to urge said bolt means into continued but releasable spring engagement with said frame support at all times and means on said bolt retaining said canopy against said lock nut means. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 238,672 Galt et al. Mar. 8, 1881 307,522 Butlin Nov. 4, 1884 375,953 Richter Jan. 3, 1888 1,084,261 Ewing Ian. 13, 1914 2,023,155 Turner Dec. 3, 1935 2,023,813 Jolly Dec. 10, 1935 

